Writing Romance Fiction 101
Congratulations! You've decided you want to write a romance novel. Did you know romance fiction is one of the most popular types of fiction sold in the US today? In 2004, romance fiction generated $1.2 billion in sales. In fact, Romance fiction comprises 54.9% of all popular paperback fiction sold in North America (according to statistics provided by Romance Writers of America). That's a lot of love to share, right?
I think you've picked a fabulous industry to get into, but as you may imagine, or you may have already discovered firsthand, the competition in the romance fiction industry is fierce.
But that's why I'm here, to help you come into it a couple steps ahead of the game. So...
The first thing we'll tackle is the definition. If you're planning to write a romance novel, it's best you know what a romance novel "is", so here goes...
What Is A Romance Novel?
Romance Novel Defined
I recently discovered an article on a website by Jennifer Coates, a feature called "Happy Endings" where Jennifer was remarking on the frequent contention between herself (as a reader of romances) and others (who do not read romance) about her choice of reading material. It is from Jennifer that I got this wonderful definition:"A romance novel is a work of literature that reflects a human experience we all aspire to: love."
A romance novel is an ideal, a way of life, the kind of fantasy life we can dream of, wish we had, if only for a few hours each day-even though we are perfectly content to continue living our own happily ever after in this thing we like to call "reality".
Most of the time when I'm called upon to define a romance novel, I end up first having to define what a romance novel is NOT. A romance novel is NOT a sex story, sex book, nasty book, naughty tale, or anything else that does not pertain to the emotional attachment between a man and a woman in a forever kind of way.
It is most definitely NOT porn, wherein you read about people having sex merely for sex's sake. If the characters emotions are not romantically involved, then it is not romance.
Here is my personal definition of a romance novel...
A romance novel is a story about how one man and one woman fall in love while struggling to overcome the many obstacles life throws their way, who work together to overcome those obstacles while the love relationship grows and develops and in the end, make a permanent commitment to each other to maintain that love relationship forever, despite (or perhaps in spite of) the many obstacles of life.
So basically, a romance novel is a story about a man and a woman falling in love...from initial interest to permanent commitment.
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What's YOUR Biggest Obstacle To Writing Romance?
Lots of people try to write a romance novel, but very few actually complete one. What holds you back? Characterization? Motivation? Love Scenes? Plot?
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Romance Novel Conception
How Romance Novels Are Born
Now that you're all clear on exactly what a romance novel "is", let's talk about how romance novels are born.Here's a thought: A man, jaded by half a lifetime of one-night stands with experienced women, must marry.
This is an idea, a thought clip, something you could put on a sticky note and hang on your computer monitor; a very tiny portion of something that could be a whole lot more.
This is also the seed from which all stories are born. Every story ever written started this way, with only a germ of an idea that mutated and grew into a full-blown novel...and so, to, will yours.
Still, you must understand that however your initial story idea came (or comes) about, an idea is NOT a novel.
An idea is simply that, a very vague, very general thought about a character, or a setting, or a scene, or even a story that you now want to flesh out into something that at least resembles a whole, complete novel.
The idea above reveals nothing of whom the "man" is, or why he has to marry - if in fact it is absolutely necessary that he wed at all. Nor does it say anything at all about the woman he will marry, or whether the lady he may choose will even want to be his wife.
It is only an "idea". To get to "story", you have to take your initial inspiration and feed it some miracle grow for stories. And that's what we're gonna do next.
You will discover, step-by-step, exactly how to do that; how to take your initial, generic story idea and develop it until you have enough information to create an entire novel.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Books Worth Studying
This is a list of books I think are great for studying if you're trying to learn to write a romance novel.
The Devil Who Tamed Her
This is a great book to study for techniques regarding how to show your hero and heroine's relationship growing from initial interest to love.
Amazon Price: $18.25 (as of 07/26/2008)
Forbidden
Throughout Ms. Lowell's FORBIDDEN, the characters come to know there is a treasure which is greater than even life itself, and that treasure is LOVE. Truly worth studying, because what is romance without love?
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Untamed
UNTAMED is a story in which the very survival and continuation of every character in the story hinges, ultimately, on love.
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Enchanted
In ENCHANTED, the author tugs on our deep-seated fear of losing that which we hold most dear, with a warning. You may not see it, but it "is" there. Don't be foolish. Once it's gone, it's gone and you can't get it back. Do not be one who doesn't realize, until it is far too late, what you have.
Study how Ms. Lowell brings home the message in ENCHANTED: Don't push what you have aside. Grab hold of it, and live it NOW. Tomorrow may be too late.
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Quick Story Development
From A Vague Idea To Complete Novel Concept
You are now ready to move forward, to take your story idea from generic story idea to a specific, saleable novel concept.Your novel, as discussed previously, starts with only the germ of an idea.
You want to build it, to shape it into something more, something whole and complete. You want to turn your story "idea" into a full-fledged novel concept.
To do that, you need to know what "story" is...
A story is about people (characters) doing something against opposition (conflict) in a specific place (setting), during a specific time frame or era (year or years, and generally accepted way of life, such as the Regency era) for good reasons (motive).
It is told in a specific way (is structured) within the scope of a specific genre (story category), structured in the form of a novel (has a beginning, middle, and end) utilizing specific divisions (chapters), which are further divided into smaller, related sequences (scenes and sequels).
Whew, that's a lot to digest. How on earth do you get all that from the brief idea you had in the beginning?
I'll show you...
You take your generic idea to specific novel concept by asking yourself a series of questions about your idea.
There are only six questions, and if you answer each of them fully, you'll be amazed at how quickly your initial idea grows into a huge mountain of useable story concept.
This series of questions is sometimes called the "five W's of Journalism - and How".
You're going to ask yourself the following six questions in regard to your story: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?
You may have been told about the "five W's of Journalism - and How" before, when you asked about developing a story idea, but what you may not have been told are the specific "W" questions you should ask when developing a story idea.
I'll remedy that right now.
The six questions you should ask yourself about your characters and your story in order to develop your story idea into a story concept are:
~ Who will people your story?
~ What will your characters do in your story?
~ When will your story take place?
~ Where will your story take place?
~ Why do your characters do what they do in your story?
~ How will your characters carry out the reaching of their goals in your story?
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Recommended Books On Writing
These are a few of the "Craft of Writing" How-To books I recommend.
Elements of Writing Fiction - Plot (Elements of Fiction Writing)
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 07/26/2008)
Elements of Writing Fiction - Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 07/26/2008)
Techniques of the Selling Writer
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Dare to Be a Great Writer: 329 Keys to Powerful Fiction
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Who Will People Your Story?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part One
Okay, we're now going to go through each of the Six Questions For Story Development one at a time, so we can get a better picture of our story. Essentially, we're going to create a "map" for ourselves to follow during the writing.
Now don't let the word "map" scare you. If you were going on a trip across the country, and all you knew about the trip was your starting point, and a vague idea of your destination, you'd want a map to help you find your way, wouldn't you?
You'd take that map and mark out the straightest course for your journey, from beginning to end, and though you might detour a wee bit now and then, you'd basically stay true to the course you'd mapped out.
Well, that's the same thing you do when planning a novel. You become the master cartographer for your story world. You decide its boundaries and chart out the course of your reader's journey through it...beginning, middle, end, and all stops in between.
Now that you know the six questions to use to help you develop your story from a generic idea to a specific novel concept, and have quickly answered them in respect to your own story idea (sketched out an initial map of your story), we'll move through the six questions one at a time, in detail. First up...
Who will people your story?
Your readers need to know basic facts about your characters. So, first off, we give each of them a name, age, birth date, eye color, hair color, and weight. We describe their physical condition, distinguishing features, any physical imperfections, their characteristic gestures, race, religion, etc. Initially, we tell our reader all of the things that everyone could know or easily find out about our characters.
Let us say for the sake of example that you were going to purchase a car. You go to the car lot and the salesman says he has the perfect car for you. He says it is a white '78 Chevrolet Chevette, four-door, with front bucket seats.
At this point, the salesman has given you the basic facts about the car, facts which everyone and anyone could readily know or find out about the car-most by simply looking at it...just like those things listed above were the basic facts about our characters.
Now, with the basics out of the way, we can begin to fully "round out" our character. How? By showing the reader those things about our character that only the character himself would know or could tell us.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Now don't let the word "map" scare you. If you were going on a trip across the country, and all you knew about the trip was your starting point, and a vague idea of your destination, you'd want a map to help you find your way, wouldn't you?
You'd take that map and mark out the straightest course for your journey, from beginning to end, and though you might detour a wee bit now and then, you'd basically stay true to the course you'd mapped out.
Well, that's the same thing you do when planning a novel. You become the master cartographer for your story world. You decide its boundaries and chart out the course of your reader's journey through it...beginning, middle, end, and all stops in between.
Now that you know the six questions to use to help you develop your story from a generic idea to a specific novel concept, and have quickly answered them in respect to your own story idea (sketched out an initial map of your story), we'll move through the six questions one at a time, in detail. First up...
Who will people your story?
Your readers need to know basic facts about your characters. So, first off, we give each of them a name, age, birth date, eye color, hair color, and weight. We describe their physical condition, distinguishing features, any physical imperfections, their characteristic gestures, race, religion, etc. Initially, we tell our reader all of the things that everyone could know or easily find out about our characters.
Let us say for the sake of example that you were going to purchase a car. You go to the car lot and the salesman says he has the perfect car for you. He says it is a white '78 Chevrolet Chevette, four-door, with front bucket seats.
At this point, the salesman has given you the basic facts about the car, facts which everyone and anyone could readily know or find out about the car-most by simply looking at it...just like those things listed above were the basic facts about our characters.
Now, with the basics out of the way, we can begin to fully "round out" our character. How? By showing the reader those things about our character that only the character himself would know or could tell us.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Continuing...Who Will People Your Story?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Two
Back to the example of the car salesman...has he really given you enough information to make you want to buy this car?
No.
You still want to know what the car costs, how the car will handle in a curve, how many miles to the gallon it will get on the highway, what maintenance it is likely to require and when, how safe it is, how often it will need to be serviced and the like. These things are more important to you than what make, model, or color the car is.
The same holds true for your characters. Readers want and need to know more to make them care about your characters as individuals.
They need to know things such as: What will embarrass him or her? What is his/her most painful memory? What hobbies does this character engage in? What are his or her favorites: favorite meal, song, and favorite color? What are his or her opinions on politics, abortion, on homosexuality?
What turns this character on or off sexually? How will he or she react to violence, tears, lies, honesty, and injustice...a spider or a mouse?
These things are what set one character apart from another, making them individualistic, interesting, and "real" to your reader.
Your readers want to know not only who your characters are, but also, what makes them who they are. What is it that makes them unique?
Your heroine may be a 26-year-old, blue-eyed blonde rich girl, but your reader is going to care more about how she will react when daddy's money is no longer there for her, and how she will feel when brunettes are suddenly the fashion. Will she fight to survive in the "real world" without daddy's money? Or will she dye her hair brown and look for a nice, rich husband to keep her in style?
By learning how your characters feel about certain things, you learn how he or she will react to those things in any given situation. This is how a writer creates compelling, well-rounded characters with which to people his or her story.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
No.
You still want to know what the car costs, how the car will handle in a curve, how many miles to the gallon it will get on the highway, what maintenance it is likely to require and when, how safe it is, how often it will need to be serviced and the like. These things are more important to you than what make, model, or color the car is.
The same holds true for your characters. Readers want and need to know more to make them care about your characters as individuals.
They need to know things such as: What will embarrass him or her? What is his/her most painful memory? What hobbies does this character engage in? What are his or her favorites: favorite meal, song, and favorite color? What are his or her opinions on politics, abortion, on homosexuality?
What turns this character on or off sexually? How will he or she react to violence, tears, lies, honesty, and injustice...a spider or a mouse?
These things are what set one character apart from another, making them individualistic, interesting, and "real" to your reader.
Your readers want to know not only who your characters are, but also, what makes them who they are. What is it that makes them unique?
Your heroine may be a 26-year-old, blue-eyed blonde rich girl, but your reader is going to care more about how she will react when daddy's money is no longer there for her, and how she will feel when brunettes are suddenly the fashion. Will she fight to survive in the "real world" without daddy's money? Or will she dye her hair brown and look for a nice, rich husband to keep her in style?
By learning how your characters feel about certain things, you learn how he or she will react to those things in any given situation. This is how a writer creates compelling, well-rounded characters with which to people his or her story.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
More Romances Worth Studying
Here are a few more romances I consider to be at the top of their class. Great for studying technique.
The Wolf and the Dove
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Flame and the Flower
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
A Rose in Winter
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Ashes in the Wind
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Fires of Winter
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
What Will Your Characters DO In Your Story?
6 Questions for Story Development ~ Part Three
Your characters, just as people do in real life, will have things to do, or not do; places to go, or places they dream of going; people to see or avoid at all costs; friends to love and enemies to hate. All of these things, from conception to happily ever after, will contribute to the shaping of your characters' lives.
Generally, due to the influence of one or more of the other characters or situations in your story, your main character will grow in new directions, will change for the better throughout the course of your story. In fact, the best stories I've ever read were about characters being shaped, in a good way, by all the factors mentioned above. Simply put, the best stories are about change. Character change.
Your characters grow, evolve, or "change" because of what they have done, or failed to do in their lives. They change because of the things or situations they have survived or given in to, during the course of their lives.
Again, the things that makes your characters grow, or change, are his or her reactions to either achieving the goals that he or she has set for him/herself, or not achieving them and his or her reactions to either solving the problems he or she must face while attempting to achieve his/her goals, or failing to solve them.
So, if you want your story to be one of the best, be sure to give your characters something important, something major (to your characters) to "do" in your story, something to strive for, something to attempt that they've never attempted before.
This is called giving them goals. A GOAL is what your characters plan to do, or not do, in your story, and every one of your major characters should have at least one major goal.
Beware, however, that "fall in love with the hero or heroine" is not a valid goal. Why not? Because falling in love is not something any person (or character) can plan to do. It just happens...or does not happen, as the case may be. This is how it works for real people, and so should it also for your characters, if you want your story to be realistic, in the midst of all else, despite the complications it may (and usually does) cause in their lives.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Generally, due to the influence of one or more of the other characters or situations in your story, your main character will grow in new directions, will change for the better throughout the course of your story. In fact, the best stories I've ever read were about characters being shaped, in a good way, by all the factors mentioned above. Simply put, the best stories are about change. Character change.
Your characters grow, evolve, or "change" because of what they have done, or failed to do in their lives. They change because of the things or situations they have survived or given in to, during the course of their lives.
Again, the things that makes your characters grow, or change, are his or her reactions to either achieving the goals that he or she has set for him/herself, or not achieving them and his or her reactions to either solving the problems he or she must face while attempting to achieve his/her goals, or failing to solve them.
So, if you want your story to be one of the best, be sure to give your characters something important, something major (to your characters) to "do" in your story, something to strive for, something to attempt that they've never attempted before.
This is called giving them goals. A GOAL is what your characters plan to do, or not do, in your story, and every one of your major characters should have at least one major goal.
Beware, however, that "fall in love with the hero or heroine" is not a valid goal. Why not? Because falling in love is not something any person (or character) can plan to do. It just happens...or does not happen, as the case may be. This is how it works for real people, and so should it also for your characters, if you want your story to be realistic, in the midst of all else, despite the complications it may (and usually does) cause in their lives.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
When And Where Will Your Story Take Place?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Four
Do your characters live in a villa in the south of France? Maybe they live in a mud hut Saxon England, in the year 983. Whatever you decide, the "When" and "where" are elements of your story's setting.
SETTING is a multi-layered, multi-use tool for authors. It's not just where your characters "are". Setting includes things like time/era, location, housing, the generally accepted way of life, culture, and more.
What do I mean by "multi-layered"? Well, think about it. Your characters (and you!) are always in more than any one place at any given time in their life.
Sound impossible? Not on your life! Let me explain...
I am on Earth.
I am in North America.
I am in the United States.
I am in Georgia.
I am in Buchanan.
I am on my own land.
I am inside my house.
I am in all of these places at one and the same time.
See? There are no less than seven layers of setting here! First of all, Earth has specific characteristics that make it different from Jupiter. And North America is quite different when compared to Antarctica. The United States has different qualities than Canada, and Georgia and Montana are definitely not the same. Buchanan is quiet when compared to Atlanta, and several acres in Buchanan, Georgia are not the same as 1,000 acres in Wahtoosee, Montana would be. And finally, my house is not yours.
You see? Seven very different yet very specific layers of setting were revealed above. Changing any one of those elements above would bring about a completely different story, so remember, when you sit down to create your own story's setting: think multi-layered.
By using as many layers of setting as you can, you make the "place" where your characters live and the "time" in which they live come brilliantly, vibrantly alive for your reader.
Now, what do I mean when I say setting is a "multi-use tool" for authors? When I say "multi-use tool", I mean that you can use your setting to cause a multitude of reactions and/or recognitions in your reader.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
SETTING is a multi-layered, multi-use tool for authors. It's not just where your characters "are". Setting includes things like time/era, location, housing, the generally accepted way of life, culture, and more.
What do I mean by "multi-layered"? Well, think about it. Your characters (and you!) are always in more than any one place at any given time in their life.
Sound impossible? Not on your life! Let me explain...
I am on Earth.
I am in North America.
I am in the United States.
I am in Georgia.
I am in Buchanan.
I am on my own land.
I am inside my house.
I am in all of these places at one and the same time.
See? There are no less than seven layers of setting here! First of all, Earth has specific characteristics that make it different from Jupiter. And North America is quite different when compared to Antarctica. The United States has different qualities than Canada, and Georgia and Montana are definitely not the same. Buchanan is quiet when compared to Atlanta, and several acres in Buchanan, Georgia are not the same as 1,000 acres in Wahtoosee, Montana would be. And finally, my house is not yours.
You see? Seven very different yet very specific layers of setting were revealed above. Changing any one of those elements above would bring about a completely different story, so remember, when you sit down to create your own story's setting: think multi-layered.
By using as many layers of setting as you can, you make the "place" where your characters live and the "time" in which they live come brilliantly, vibrantly alive for your reader.
Now, what do I mean when I say setting is a "multi-use tool" for authors? When I say "multi-use tool", I mean that you can use your setting to cause a multitude of reactions and/or recognitions in your reader.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Some Fun Romance Related Websites
These are a few of the sites I like to visit when surfing the web. You may enjoy them too.
- Romance Humor
- I love the cover snarks section on this site. Be careful though. You'll laugh so much your stomach will ache!
- Morgan's Musings
- This is my blog. I don't update half as often as I should, but you may find some interesting things here.
- The Dark-Hunter Bulletin Board
- Chat with and about Ms. Kenyon's immortal (sort of) Dark-Hunters.
- Julia Quinn's Website
- Check here for updates about Julia's books.
- Eloisa James's Website
- Check here for updates on Eloisa's books. Eloisa's section for readers is cool.
- Teresa Medeiros's Website
- Check here for updates on Teresa's books.
Continuing...When And Where Will Your Story Take Place?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Four
For instance, you can use your story's setting to convey the tone/mood for a scene. It can provide the reader with clues, foreshadowing upcoming scenes or events. It can cause reactions in your characters. It can do so many things for you when you're writing a story.
Your masterful use of setting insures that your readers will not be thrown from your story because they couldn't quite "see" it in their minds.
Instead, your readers, due to your intelligent use of the elements and layers of setting, are drawn further and further into your story...because the setting is so vivid, so real, they can almost see the flames leaping in the fire, hear the rain pattering against the windows, feel the excited tension in the room while your heroine waits for the hero to arrive for their midnight tryst.
Your reader can almost taste the chill of the champagne, sitting uncorked, in the ice. Your reader will feel as if he or she could step into the scenes you have written and live them his or herself...
And that, my writer friend, is exactly what you want your reader to do.
Now, I am going to show you one of the ways I use setting to develop the scenes in my stories.
First off, I always write the scene exactly as I see it in my mind. I write it all down fairly quickly, just so I don't forget the basic idea I had for the scene. Doing this quick writing, it is very easy to leave out some of the details. Still, in this first draft, I usually get just the basic character dialogue and actions in, and the barest bones of setting.
Then, I go back and read the scene as I've written it.
Next, using all of the five senses, I begin to develop the setting by asking myself the following questions as I read, one question at a time:
1. What does my main character see/visualize in this scene?
2. What can my main character hear, besides the other characters (if any) in this scene?
3. What can my main character feel/touch with his or her hands and skin in this scene? (This is external feeling, outside his or her mind - feelings-emotions (which are "internal") come into play in sequel.)
4. What can my main character smell in this scene?
5. And, if applicable, what can my main character taste in this scene?
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Your masterful use of setting insures that your readers will not be thrown from your story because they couldn't quite "see" it in their minds.
Instead, your readers, due to your intelligent use of the elements and layers of setting, are drawn further and further into your story...because the setting is so vivid, so real, they can almost see the flames leaping in the fire, hear the rain pattering against the windows, feel the excited tension in the room while your heroine waits for the hero to arrive for their midnight tryst.
Your reader can almost taste the chill of the champagne, sitting uncorked, in the ice. Your reader will feel as if he or she could step into the scenes you have written and live them his or herself...
And that, my writer friend, is exactly what you want your reader to do.
Now, I am going to show you one of the ways I use setting to develop the scenes in my stories.
First off, I always write the scene exactly as I see it in my mind. I write it all down fairly quickly, just so I don't forget the basic idea I had for the scene. Doing this quick writing, it is very easy to leave out some of the details. Still, in this first draft, I usually get just the basic character dialogue and actions in, and the barest bones of setting.
Then, I go back and read the scene as I've written it.
Next, using all of the five senses, I begin to develop the setting by asking myself the following questions as I read, one question at a time:
1. What does my main character see/visualize in this scene?
2. What can my main character hear, besides the other characters (if any) in this scene?
3. What can my main character feel/touch with his or her hands and skin in this scene? (This is external feeling, outside his or her mind - feelings-emotions (which are "internal") come into play in sequel.)
4. What can my main character smell in this scene?
5. And, if applicable, what can my main character taste in this scene?
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
More...When And Where Will Your Story Take Place?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Four
Here are a few examples:
In this particular scene that I'm imagining, my main character:
...Sees the oak tree with the old swing she used to play on as a child (nostalgia, loneliness maybe)
...Hears the whisper of the water in the lake, the same lake her cousin Jenny drowned in only two weeks ago, lapping against its banks (fear, despair, general discontent)
...Feels the chill winter air breathing down on her (conveys harshness, maybe even a threat/warning)
...Smells the damp earth beneath her feet, the mustiness of the trees that stand silent sentinel around the lake, and the pungent scent of fish from the water (dreary, alone, quiet)
Since she is outside, let's see...
...She tastes the icy crispness in the air with each breath she takes, an icy stab of remembrance.
Well. This example is not from my usual sub-genre of writing, but it's what I pulled from my hat when I sat down to write this section, so there you have it. Surprise!
Sounds like it could be something from an Intrigue novel to me. Maybe not, but you get the idea, right? I hope that you can see from these examples how your story's setting can convey mood, tone, a sense of your characters feelings, cause reactions in your characters, and more.
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Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
In this particular scene that I'm imagining, my main character:
...Sees the oak tree with the old swing she used to play on as a child (nostalgia, loneliness maybe)
...Hears the whisper of the water in the lake, the same lake her cousin Jenny drowned in only two weeks ago, lapping against its banks (fear, despair, general discontent)
...Feels the chill winter air breathing down on her (conveys harshness, maybe even a threat/warning)
...Smells the damp earth beneath her feet, the mustiness of the trees that stand silent sentinel around the lake, and the pungent scent of fish from the water (dreary, alone, quiet)
Since she is outside, let's see...
...She tastes the icy crispness in the air with each breath she takes, an icy stab of remembrance.
Well. This example is not from my usual sub-genre of writing, but it's what I pulled from my hat when I sat down to write this section, so there you have it. Surprise!
Sounds like it could be something from an Intrigue novel to me. Maybe not, but you get the idea, right? I hope that you can see from these examples how your story's setting can convey mood, tone, a sense of your characters feelings, cause reactions in your characters, and more.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Personal Romance Favorites
This is a few of the romance novels that have earned an honored place on my keeper shelf.
Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
To Tame a Highland Warrior (Highlander, Book 2)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Highlander's Touch (Highlander, Book 3)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Kiss of the Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 4)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Dark Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 5)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Why Do Your Characters Do What They Do In Your Story?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Five
When your character announces their intention to take some action, to do something, the first thing your reader wants to know is...why?
The reason your character plans to do or not do something is called their MOTIVATION for doing or not doing a thing.
"Motivation" is the answer to the "why?" question that is raised in your reader's mind when your character declares his or her intention to take some action, to do something.
This is why your characters should always have logical, plausible, good reasons for why they do the things they do throughout each phase of your novel.
You should be aware that your reader is generally a highly skeptical individual, not easily convinced without sound reasons to influence her.
The minute your character says they intend to act, that "why" question immediately rises (if you have not already answered it sufficiently, as you should have) in your readers' mind.
LOGICAL means that it is a valid reason, one your character can believe.
PLAUSIBLE means that it is a possible reason, a reason conceivable by anyone of like age, race, in your story's time and place, and your character's situation.
Darn good means that you can't give your characters puny motives. They have to be sound reasons, reasons your character came to, by way of growth through situation after situation, up until this exact and particular point in their lives.
Therefore, your job, as an author, is to help your reader "suspend her disbelief" long enough to allow her to live vicariously through the pages of your story. Therefore, each and every answer your characters give to the "why" question above must be logical, plausible, and darn good reasons.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
The reason your character plans to do or not do something is called their MOTIVATION for doing or not doing a thing.
"Motivation" is the answer to the "why?" question that is raised in your reader's mind when your character declares his or her intention to take some action, to do something.
This is why your characters should always have logical, plausible, good reasons for why they do the things they do throughout each phase of your novel.
You should be aware that your reader is generally a highly skeptical individual, not easily convinced without sound reasons to influence her.
The minute your character says they intend to act, that "why" question immediately rises (if you have not already answered it sufficiently, as you should have) in your readers' mind.
LOGICAL means that it is a valid reason, one your character can believe.
PLAUSIBLE means that it is a possible reason, a reason conceivable by anyone of like age, race, in your story's time and place, and your character's situation.
Darn good means that you can't give your characters puny motives. They have to be sound reasons, reasons your character came to, by way of growth through situation after situation, up until this exact and particular point in their lives.
Therefore, your job, as an author, is to help your reader "suspend her disbelief" long enough to allow her to live vicariously through the pages of your story. Therefore, each and every answer your characters give to the "why" question above must be logical, plausible, and darn good reasons.
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
How Will Your Characters Carry Out The Reaching Of Their Goals In Your Story?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Six
This final story development question, the "how", is possibly the most important one you'll ask yourself about your story. Why? Because the answer to this question determines so many things about your novel: its direction, its length, its salability, the key scenes, the high and low points of your story, and more.
Let's take a moment to review what you've done so far...
You've decided who your characters are, and you've breathed life into your characters by digging for more than the basic facts of age, birth date, weight, height, and so forth. By doing that, you've created highly individual, interesting people to live on the pages of your novel.
You have given each of your main characters something vitally important to do, set specific goals for them that they will attempt to achieve, during the course of your story.
You have created a fascinating, multi-layered world, built an alluring sense of both the time and place in which your characters will live, bringing the fictional to life by using vivid, sensual word pictures to describe the location and era in which your characters exist...
And finally, you have given each of your main characters believable, realistic, sound reasons for wanting to and attempting to achieve the goals you have set before them.
Now, you are going to create a plan of action for each of those main characters, to show how they intend to carry out the achieving of those goals, or the steps they will take to find the solutions to the problems they will face during your story.
A PLAN OF ACTION is nothing more than a planned series of steps one intends to take in order to find a solution or reach a goal. But, you ask, how can I create one?
I'll show you. But first, a little story...
When I was young, my mama used to make up stories at bedtime to tell us while we went to sleep. Most nights, when she noticed we were almost asleep, she'd begin to wind down, working toward an end point for that night's tale. Of course, the instant she stopped speaking, if we weren't far down into that generous abyss otherwise known as sleep, one of us would raise our head from the pillow and say, "And then what happened?"
Mama was so nice. She'd continue the story, starting a new chapter each time one of us asked the question of the evening: And then what happened? She kept at it until we were all sleeping deeply, then she'd finally be able to seek sleep herself.
(...continued below)
Let's take a moment to review what you've done so far...
You've decided who your characters are, and you've breathed life into your characters by digging for more than the basic facts of age, birth date, weight, height, and so forth. By doing that, you've created highly individual, interesting people to live on the pages of your novel.
You have given each of your main characters something vitally important to do, set specific goals for them that they will attempt to achieve, during the course of your story.
You have created a fascinating, multi-layered world, built an alluring sense of both the time and place in which your characters will live, bringing the fictional to life by using vivid, sensual word pictures to describe the location and era in which your characters exist...
And finally, you have given each of your main characters believable, realistic, sound reasons for wanting to and attempting to achieve the goals you have set before them.
Now, you are going to create a plan of action for each of those main characters, to show how they intend to carry out the achieving of those goals, or the steps they will take to find the solutions to the problems they will face during your story.
A PLAN OF ACTION is nothing more than a planned series of steps one intends to take in order to find a solution or reach a goal. But, you ask, how can I create one?
I'll show you. But first, a little story...
When I was young, my mama used to make up stories at bedtime to tell us while we went to sleep. Most nights, when she noticed we were almost asleep, she'd begin to wind down, working toward an end point for that night's tale. Of course, the instant she stopped speaking, if we weren't far down into that generous abyss otherwise known as sleep, one of us would raise our head from the pillow and say, "And then what happened?"
Mama was so nice. She'd continue the story, starting a new chapter each time one of us asked the question of the evening: And then what happened? She kept at it until we were all sleeping deeply, then she'd finally be able to seek sleep herself.
(...continued below)
More Personal Romance Favorites
Just a few more of my favorites...
Almost Heaven
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Something Wonderful
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
A Kingdom of Dreams
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Night Bites (Mackenzie Vampires, Book 2)
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Master of Ecstasy (Mackenzie Vampires, Book 1)
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
More...How Will Your Characters Carry Out The Reaching Of Their Goals In Your Story?
6 Questions For Story Development ~ Part Six
Some nights, just as she snuggled down and finally began to drift off, my Daddy would say, "And then what happened?" Believe it or not, she'd even continue the story for him!What has this to do with creating a plan of action for your characters to follow while trying to achieve their goals in your story?
I could get into lots of others' writing how-tos for this section, but I wont. Instead, I'm going to stick to something much more simple: basic paragraph structure and chronological order.
Remember that? You probably learned all about it in grade school. To write a paragraph in chronological order, you'd start by writing down what happened FIRST. THEN you'd write down the second event that occurred. Next, you'd write what happened NEXT. And last but not least, you'd write down the FINAL event.
The "formula" went something like this: FIRST, THEN, NEXT, and FINALLY.
When using this formula to create a plan of action for your characters, it may look something like this:
FIRST, the heroine plans to (insert your story info here), but (conflict: something occurs).
THEN, she intends to (insert your story info here), but (additional conflict: something hampers her intentions).
NEXT, she's determined to (insert your story info here), but (additional conflict and climax: something stands in her way).
FINALLY, she... (resolution: whatever she does that resolves the things she's tried to do so far in a logical, satisfying way).
Pat yourself on the back...you're one step closer to becoming a published romance author!
Get The Complete Romance Writers How-To Series
Want More? Visit The Write A Romance Blog!
Romance Writers How-To Series
If you've enjoyed the series here so far, and you'd like to learn more about writing a romance novel, why not check out the rest of the series?
- The Three Acts: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings
- Learn about writing the beginning, middle, and end of your story.
- The Rules Of Seduction
- Discover the 13 Rules Of Seduction.
- Novel Layers: Structuring Scene And Sequel
- Novels have layers too. (Just like Ogres!)
- Understanding Point Of View
- Whose eyes are you writing from? Is that the best viewpoint for your scene? Learn about point of view.
- PLOT And A Bare-bones Method For Crafting A Page-Turner
- Learn to plot sentence-by-sentence.
- Theme, Premise, and Your Book's Blurb: The 6-Second Sales Pitch
- Have only a few seconds in an elevator between floors to pitch your story? Check this out.
- The Proposal
- Not marriage...but a book sale. Do it like a pro.
- Marketing And Promotion
- Spreading the word about your book can be a little tricky sometimes. Here's help.
- The "Write A Romance" Blog
- Even more how-to info for you to devour.
Get A Free Guide From The Romance Writers How-To Series
I wanted to offer all of you an additional preview into my "Romance Writers How-To Series" so I've put up a little box on the WriteARomance home page where you can put in your name and email address and I'll let you choose one of my guides from the series FREE.
Just go to http://www.writearomance.com and scroll down to the pink box at the bottom. Drop in your info, let me know which guide you want, and click the button.
Just go to http://www.writearomance.com and scroll down to the pink box at the bottom. Drop in your info, let me know which guide you want, and click the button.
Reader Feedback
blushgirl
What a fun lens. I love it! 5 stars from me. If you have time, please visit me at: What are the Top 10 Adult Dating Sites?
Posted May 09, 2008
indian
great lens
Posted February 18, 2008
ce2consulting
This is a great lens for a romance writer, lots of how to. I'm a huge Elizabeth Lowell fan and love how you used her books as examples to learn from.
Posted January 23, 2008
ChickMagnet101
Hey Morgan- Like your lens (Gave it 5/5 Stars) This is quality information which can ANY budding author. Thanks for adding this to the community.
~Scott
Posted August 28, 2007
BradKamer
You apparently found your niche! It is astounding how many paperbacks at the newstands are romance themed. Good luck on your debut! Five stars for the lens.
Posted August 17, 2007
allysa
great job Morgan, your lens is very romantic ^_^ like your topic! 5* from me
Posted August 17, 2007
MorganLeshay
AM,
I guess you'd say I "got into" it by reading romance. I've been reading romance since age nine. I love the stories. When I turned sixteen, I decided to write my first romance. An eye-opening experience. That's when I began to study the genre and industry.
Thanks for stopping by!
Morgan
Posted August 12, 2007
AM
very interesting. thanks. btw, how did you get into this industry?
Posted August 12, 2007
SemperFidelis
Very thoroght lens on romance writing, but more importantly, writing in general. Keep up the good work. :o)
Posted August 12, 2007
